As a former golfer, one of the sayings of a good golfer is you can spot a golfer's level just by his grip and stance before they ever move.

It is pretty accurate.  Golfers with great grips that come to mind are
Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, Sam Snead, all come to mind.

There grips are so good and so perfect for their anatomy that it is tough for them to play bad golf.  I think of so many golfers that I have seen that are done before they get started.  The advice to just put ones palms parallel to each other and the back of the left hand pointing straight at the hole has ruined so many golfers start it is incredible.  (Frequently I read on this forum of people complaining of their slices).  This is so often preprogrammed just because of the lax way they take their grip).

So it is with bowling.  Thie difference is that in bowling it is difficult to see the grip within the hard confines of the ball.  And yet many a game is held back because of errors in span and pitches that are inappropriate for a person's personal hand anatomy.

The perfect full span grip is defined so well by Bill Taylor in his book "Fitting and Drilling a bowling ball".  In it he describes methods to determine the perfect span(middle of last and next to last joint to lip of finger insert or hole), perfect thumb pitches(forward/reverse are based on span), lateral thumb pitches(based on the coke bottle test)and differences in span length's for middle and ring finger(based on laying hand on ball and observing difference in lengths).

His method usually ends up giving a satisfactory result for supplying ideal elements of hold, lift and turn for most common bowling situations.  Note most people end up following his method with some reverse thumb pitch(if span over 4 1/4 inches), some lateral under palm pitch(if right handed right pitch) (if left handed then left pitch) this element ends up supplying turn while the bowler throws with a straightish elbow position and straight or cupped wrist.

Now however we find many bowlers saying things like I want to have foward pitch on my thumb.  My question is why?  The usual answer is something like, "well there's a guy at my house who shot 300 last night and he uses forward".  OOOOOO KAAAY?  "What's that got to do with you?"

Another comment, "I want to have lateral out"?  Why?  "Well, I heard, Brian Voss or Kimbo use lateral out!".  My response, "I see!"

To be continued!!!!

REGards,

Luckylefty

This

Zman,

Exactly, his book is a great first drill and then go from there.

In the book he talks about how if his methods are used most end up about 1/16 off in span at most and then thumb pitches etc. are based on actual holding power and turn shown once the ideal "textbook" drilling is applied.

Now to continue my line of thought from above!

Points so far:
In golf there was the ideal grip (about 2 1/2 knuckles of left hand showing to the straight on observer(for the majority of people(not all)).  This was and is practiced by the the best golfers of the past and again now.  But for awhile some golfers found they were overturning or hooking the ball too much!  As a result many of them started using 1 to 1 1/2 knuckle grips to reduce turn!  Funny thing happened along the way was that at that time many of the teachers started teaching this same weak grip to all levels of players even those that couldn't overturn or hook a ball if there life depended on it!  (all of this happened in the 70s mostly)

LATERAL THUMB PITCH
--------------------

Does any of this sound familiar to bowling?  It should, because now bowling is in a similar phase.  Bowlers are now trying to adopt many of the grip characteristics of the pros.  Many bowlers are starting to go to lateral out and forward pitches of the thumb when their anatomy (as called for by the Bill Taylor tests) call for reverse pitches(due to span) and lateral under palm pitches as determined by coke bottle test.  Many of these players couldn't overturn a ball if Pchee2 was helping them throw it.

An aside here( I am not Sawbones, nor his son(his name is HOSE).  Why do I keep throwing in these golf analogies!??? The reason I do is because the anatomy of the two games is very similar.  In golf the angle assumed by the back of the left hand when standing relaxed is the proper position to place the left hand and will lead to an effortless and golf swing that returns the club back to naturally neutrual or square with almost no effort or manipulation.

So it is with the coke bottle test.  Where one's thumb points is unique and different for most but let's say over 90% of cases the thumb does not end up pointing to the index finger(lateral out).  Also most bowlers are not guilty of hooking it or turning it too much!

In golf the problem wasn't really even one of overturning.  The problem was really one of not having a strong enough grip (to supply forearm and club rotation)(in bowling the analogy being enough  lateral under palm), and therefore the golfer sensing this on the way down would come in and swing or pull the arms to the left to get the ball started on line.

(The analogy in bowling being chicken winging).  The bowler feels that he can not get the ball back enough if he swings his arm out away from his ultimate target(the pocket) and so therefore he chicken wings or pulls his armswing.

The proper lateral pitch (for his and your anatomy) instead allows the arm to pursue the intended starting line of the ball and feel(know) that the ball can come back.  (Naturally another fault that will cause this lack of trust is not having the feet in the right place for the shot).  

SPANS
-----

Now let's talk about the proper span.  

One of the thing's Bill Taylor say's that I believe is one of the most important things said in the book is that the ultimate test of the proper full span he recommends is that in this full fingertip one will feel during the backswing that the pressure of the ball should be near the joint of the last pad of the finger.
On the downswing the pressure should then cover the complete pad!

Read that again if you will please.

Finger pressure in the backswing should be. Near 1/3 of pad close to jointline.
Legend X = pressure, . = no pressure
...TIP
|-------|
|.........|
|.........|
|.........|
|xxxxxxx|
|xxxxxxx|
|XXXXXXX|
_________
Joint line

Finger pressure on the downswing
...Tip
|--------|
|XXXXXXXX|
|XXXXXXXX|
|XXXXXXXX|
|XXXXXXXX|
|XXXXXXXX|
|XXXXXXXX|
|XXXXXXXX|
|________|
Joint line

Get it!?

The too short span leads to pressure on the whole finger pad on the backswing and pressure ONLY on the fingertips on the downswing.

This is the final dialing in process on finding span length in the Bill Taylor method!  I have found this is easy to do with shims!!!  Spans can be lengthened over a 1/16 th this way if one uses finger inserts.

MODERN LANE CONDITIONS and TODAY's DRILLING VARIATIONS
------------------------------------------------------

So why are SOME bowlers today going to Shorter spans than the Bill Taylor method, reverse pitch in the fingers, lateral out pitches for the thumb(even though the hand coke bottles for 1/8 lateral Under palm), and dramatic forward in the thumb.
Far different than the tables.

Great questions.  For those who have never bowled on these tricky patterns put out the PBA I'll venture in to this, for our masters of the universe please bear with me!

The times I've bowled in PBA proams(one ladies, one mens's supposedly the shot for the tournament). has left me with this general impression.

The patterns are made to embarass the area bowler.
Characteristics are good amounts of head oil, OB to the outside of the lanes, very little hold area, a two or 3 board break area that will hit the pocket at 45 feet.  

To be continued!!!!

REGards,

Luckylefty




Edited on 5/30/2003 6:36 PMLATERAL THUMB PITCH

Edited on 5/30/2003 9:50 PM

Edited on 5/30/2003 9:51 PM

Edited on 5/30/2003 9:55 PM

Span lengths and pitches continued
-----------------------------------

Therefore from the example above.
A person from above has a span of 4 1/2.
They decide to reduce lift and hold by adding reverse pitch of 1/4 to the fingers!
In my book the span now feels like a 4 3/8 span.  THe amount of reverse pitch for the span should be 1/8.  But the ball is no longer held as strongly so the bowler goes to 1/16 reverse.

Now the bowler also decides because of the sport conditions that they want to also reduce side roll a little so they change their proper anatomical lateral under palm of 1/8(as measured by coke bottle test) to 1/8 lateral out from palm.

This reduces side roll for many bowlers and but also induces a little chicken winging to get any side roll.  HERE is the compensation for this.  Many bowlers will now shorten span.  A standard span with a lateral out for a person who's hand says lateral under does not lead to good turn.  Howerver, if combined with a very relaxed span (maybe 1/4 under Bill Taylor measured span).  Some turn can be reestablished for the bowler.

(In golf the similar adjustment was for the golfer to have a softer left elbow if he took a less than ideal strength grip , ie he took a 1 1/2 knuckle grip when his anatomy called for 2 1/2 knuckles he could still have adequate though slightly weaker rotation with this softer elbow).  So it is with the bowler.
A shorter span coupled with lateral out for the bowler who's hand says lateral under reestablishes some rotation for the bowler. (not as much).  

Final step to convert to this modern setup is getting the thumb it's necessary holding power.  This will happen by moving the thumb forward by at least 1/8 for the lateral out(less holding power for this person who tests 1/8 lateral under), and another 1/8 forward for the shortening of the span 1/4.

To catalogue changes:
Spec..........Bill Taylor..........SPort condition drill
Span...........4 1/2...............4 1/4
Finger pitch   0...................1/4 reverse
thumb lateral..1/8 under palm......1/8 away from palm
Thumb for/rev..1/8 reverse..........3/16 forward at least!

THis set of changes on the right will straighten the axis rotation and supply less lift.

Do I believe most of us need these changes- no!!  Most of us trying to average over 220 for the first time can easily go with standard Bill Taylor!!  My opinion.

THumb holes and bevel
---------------------

Most bowlers today use a variety of holes, inserts or custom made thumbs.

Here are some thoughts on that.

Some sayings often heard.

Never use a tapered grip!
Never use anything but Urethane slugs!
Always use Urethane slugs!
Never use vinyl!
Always use vinyl!
Just a round hole works!
Never use an oval!
Always use ovals!
Never use bevel!
Always use bevel!
Never use a thumb straight device!  It adds reverse pitch!

All sayings above are crap!

THe right answer is LOOK at YOUR thumb.

What shape is it?
Round?  Oval?  Tapered?  Evenly?  Or is it tapered just front to back?
Many people who have oval shaped thumbs use round thumbholes and then tape both the front of the thumbhole in line with the flat spot of the thumb, and then the back of the thumbhole in line with that.

This in essence creates your own manually created oval.
When I started out I used tapered thumbholes.  Round tapered thumbhole.
I loved the feel of them and the heavy roll they gave me on the ball!

After a while I was talking to a famous bowler(who I greatly respect) and he stated "Never use a tapered thumbhole", "you will rub some place and then release early".  I switched immediately to non taper and have been dropping non stop the whole time!

Now I think I have gleaned the important thing he said!!!  
It is this!

"You will rub somewhere in the hole, and in response to that overcompensate and exit too early!"

This is true, if you rub somewhere in your thumbhole you will tend to start exiting early!!!!  But where you rub is dependant on YOUR thumb shape and the type of insert you choose to match up with YOUR thumb!

You see I have an unusual thumb.  I taper dramatically from front to back!!! And yet I have no taper from side to side!!!!  NONE!  Therefore any pre made taper either round or oval taper, taper equally on both the front and side.  I don't need any side taper, none!  This is the hang spot for me, side taper.  Therefore I take it out.  You are propably different, you must observe YOUR thumb shape.

For me two solutions to get the perfect fit.
1. A straight oval insert(mine was custom made from an ovalmatic jig),
with a thumb straight added.  This device adds approximately 1/8 reverse to front of the thumbhole and yet supplies the front to back taper I need due to my extreme front to back thumb taper. (Yet it has NO side taper, which I don't need)  I drill this at about 1/8 forward from what I intend my final front of thumb surface to be.  For example, I drill for my 4 3/4 span 1/16 reverse and then when I add the thumb straight the effective surface is about 3/16 reverse.

2. The second method is a premade tapered oval, note this is tapered from front to back and then side to side!  I take the insert and turn upside down and take out the side taper with a bevel knife from the bottom of the insert!!!!  Due to front to back taper I drill this insert about 1/16 forward from where I would drill a straigt oval.  In my case 1/8 reverse versus my expected 3/16 ending front surface position.  (Drill bit goes in at 1/8, front surface of thumbhole is actually 3/16 reverse due to taper, note less taper than thumb straight).

This is working wonders for my holding power!

The key to this all is to look at your thumb.
Carefully note it's shape.  Take measurements to decide am I tapered, am I oval what am I.

If you are dropping, try vinyl or reducing bevel.  If you are hanging try Urethane or add bevel before that.
If you are pulling add side bevel,if you are lofting and have pain under flat surface of front of thumb add front bevel(see beveling tips I've learned from Mo Pinel in this section).  If you want to add more front forward pitch to the thumbhole than the Bill Taylor tables guide you to.  Then add bevel to the front edge of the thumbhole to prevent damage to the sensitive area of nerves near the top of the thumb!!

Note Del Warren a great bowler, I understand uses forward that is right off the caharts!!! I also under stand he couples this with a ton of front bevel.
THe actual words I have heard is that he hacks the front of the thumbhole all to hell!!!!.  Proper reverse pitch only moderate bevel is needed, dramatically forward pitch in relation to the tables always extra bevel needed for the same individual who did NOT need bevel at a more reverse setting!  Note same person, different amounts of bevel needed based on pitches of the thumb introduced!

ANY PAIN on front of thumb, WARNING nerve damage occurring, MAYDAY add front bevel to pain gone!!!!!

My thoughts on proper fit!  Hope this wasn't too boring, I'm sleepy now!!

REgards,

Luckylefty


Edited on 5/31/2003 9:05 AM

Edited on 5/31/2003 9:16 AM

Edited on 5/31/2003 9:24 AM

LUCKYLefty,i tried the coke bottle test and my thumb points towards my ring finger.My span is 4 and1/2 by 4and3/8.According to this could you tell me what pitches for my thumb would be. The reason i am asking is because my pro shop changed my pitches a month ago from 1/8 right to 1/8 left and from 3/16 reverse to 1/4.oh iam right handed.I seem to loe my gripe at least two or three tims a game now and after reading your post it got me to thinking what if my pitches are wrong. Thanks for your help.

My thumb is similar to yours Can You Rev. When I grab a coke my thumb points OUTSIDE my index finger.

As for forward pitch, I read a BT column in Bowling This Month and you know what he said? Too many ball drillers are giving every bowler reverse pitch in their thumb and some bowlers NEED forward pitch.

I'm shooting the highest scores of my life since changing to using forward and right pitch in the thumbhole so for me at least those pitches seem to work better. I'm not totally satisfied with my current grip and will continue to fine tune it, but I think forward pitch was a change in the right direction for me personally.

Thanks LuckyLefty for your response. Monday i will have my thump plugged and gine it a try, thanks again

Lucky lefty - when I get to Florida, I'm going to have you check my fit.  Would Phillipine cigars in a wooden presentation box be enough incentive?

Regards
--------------------


DARK BEER IT IS THEN!

Lucky, can you check your messages or the Misc. board? Got a few questions on the CLT drill....